Child guard



Sept. 24, 1968 A, F. KAIN CHILD GUARD Filed Nov. 25, 1966 United StatesPatent Oifice A 3,402,409 Patented Sept. 24, 1968 3,402,409 CHILD GUARDArthur F. Kain, 1927 Seminole Trail,

Lakeland, Fla. 3380.3 Filed Nov. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 597,071 1 Claim.(Cl. --331) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A guard formed from a pair ofthin, rigid panels. One panel has aligned slots along one edge. Thispanel is inserted horizontally between the mattress and the box springmember of a bed. The other panel is arranged upright at the side edge ofthe mattress and has integral prongs extending from its lower edge forinsertion into the slots of the horizontal panel.

The present invention relates to guard devices designed to prevent smallchildren frorn falling oif beds or elengated seats While sleepingthereon. The invention is particularly advantageous when used With a bedhaving a side pushed against a wall when it is desired to use the bedfor a young child who objects to sleeping in a crib.

An important object of the invention is to provide a simple, economicaland easily constructed guard device designed for instant use With bedsor seats of the type having removable mattresses or cushions, or for usein instances, such as traveling by automobile, when a separate mattressor cushion may be placed upon the auto seat.

A further object is to provide an efficient child guard which mayreadily be produced entirely from plywood, pressed board or plasticpanels, without the necessity of including metallic or other types ofcomponents which might have projections which could cause injury topersons, or which mght snag fabrics or mar the finish of furniture.

A stili further object of the invention is to provide a guard which maybe formed from two completely flat panels, free from projections, thusenabling the panels to be eflectively transported by positioning themflatwise in a very narrow space Within the trunk of a car or in acarrying case.

Additional and more specific objects and advantages of the presentinvention Will become apparent as the descripton proceeds.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view sh0wing the assernb1ed child guard inplace upon a bed;

FIGURE 2 s a perspective view showing the guard panels stored flatbeneath 9. bed mattress;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are perspective views showing, respectively, thevertical panel and the horizontal panel, and indicating their positionsjust prior to assembly.

The guard device, as herein illustrated, comprises a panel member 1,designed to be supported in upright position, and a panel member 2,which supports the member 1 and is intended to be held in horizontalposition beneath a rriattress 3, forming part of a bed, indicated as awhole at 4. The bed illustrated comprises a base portion S, such as boxsprings, having a generally vertical side face 6.

Means are provided for securing the panels together and, for thispurpose, panel 1 is preferably provided with one or more prong elements,indicated at 7, 7, which may conveniently be formed as integra]projections on the edge of the panel 1. The panel 2 is formed near oneedge with slots S, 8 to receive the prongs 7, 7.

When it is desired to assemble the guard device With a bed, the panel 2is inserted between the mattress 3 and the box spring portion 5 of thebed to lie flatwise under such mattress, and so that the slots 8 areIeft exposed at the edge of the mattress. The prongs 7 of panel 1 arethen 1nserted into the slots 8. The panel 2 is then preferably pushedinward slightly to bring the prongs up Snugly against the side face 6 ofthe box spring portion 5 and to bring the surface of panel 1 which isabove the panel 2 snugly against the edge of the mat'tress, thus servingto retain the panel 1 in a relatively firm, upright position. Anyoutward pressure applied against the panel l, such as would be caused bya child rolling against it and tending to forse the panel to swingoutwardly, is resisted by the movement of the prongs 7 against the face6 of the box spring portion. That is, the prongs 7 tend to swinginwardly against the face 6 when the main part of panel 1 is forcedoutwardly.

The panel members may be forrned of any suitable material such, forexample, as relatively thin, rigid plywood. A11 outside and insidecorners are preferably rounded on relatively gentle curves and the edgesare also rounded and smoothed t0 eliminate sharp comers or edges whichmght result in injury to persons or cause damage to fabrics.

The slots 8 are preferably made somewhat longer than the correspondingdimension of the prongs so that the wide, upper portions of the prongswhere they join With the main part of the panel Will completely enterthe slots. Thus the straight edge portions of the panel 1 between theprongs will preferably rest upon the surface of panel 2 when the panelsare assembled. Accorc'lngly, if the main portion of the prong is fourinches Wide, the slot may be made about six inches long, depending uponthe radius on which the curves at the base of the prong are made.

It is to be understood that the pane1s heren contemplated are notnecessarily of solid, unbroken construction Withn their outer contours.The panels, for example, could be in the form of frames Within which aplurality of spaced bars or rails are formed or secured.

If it is desired to assemble the guard device upon an auto seat notequpped With a displaceable cushion, it is appareut that a smallmattress or the like may be used to rest upon the horizontal panel.

By making the connecting means for the panels in the form of prongs andslots it is apparent that the panels, when dsassernbled, may be placedcompletely flatwise, one against the other and thus Will require only avery narrow storage space when not in use. As shown in FIG- URE 2, thepanels 1 and 2 may be placed one upon the other and temporarily storedbetween the mattress and box spring portion.

Even though the slots may be made of greater width than the thiekness ofthe prongs, the panels, when assembled With the mattress and springs ofa bed, as shown, can be held in relatively tight fitting relation byforcing the horizontal panel 2 firrnly in between the mattress andsprings until the vertical panel snugly contacts the mattress and theprongs contact the side face of the boxsprings.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the guard device of the presentinvention is well suited for the use intended and, although formed ofrelatively low cost material, such as plywood, may be quickly and easilyfabricated without the use of special tools and Without requiring anygreat degree of precision in production. Since no metallic or othercomponents are needed, there Will be no projecting sharp or rough edgeson the panels and the danger of injury to persons or damage to surfaeefinish or fabrics is eliminated.

While the present descripton sets forth a preferred embodiment of theinvention, various changes may be made in the device as disclosedwithout departing from the spirit of the inventicn, and it is therefordesired that the present embodiment be considered as illustrative andnot restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather thanto the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the inventon.

I claim:

1. A guard device for use on a bed, or the like, of the type having aremovable mattress, such bed including a base portion on which amattress may be supported, the guard device comprising, in combination,two relatively rigid panels formed of thin, smooth sheet material ofuniform thickness, one panel being adapted to slip horizontally betweenthe mattress and base portion of a bed to leave a narrow edge portonprojecting outwardly, the other pane] being designed to be disposeduprght along the edge of the mattress, the upright panel having integralprongs arranged to project downward at its lower edge, and thehorizontal panel being formed near its outer edge With slots to receivethe downwardly projecting prongs on the upright panel, the lower flatface portions of the prongs being adapted to contact flatwise ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,361,010 12/1920 Bruschi 297-439 XR2,546,812 3 1951 Anderson 297-442 XR 2,556,913 6/1951 Gilbert 5 -3302,611,909 9/1952 Dillon et al. 5 -331 2,666,217 1/1954 Stuart 5-331BOBBY R. GAY, Prmary Examner.

RAYMOND D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner.

